Part of the Pride for life...and death
Hofstra’s longest tenured professor plans to donate anatomical gift to medical school

Anatomy lab at Hofstra’s Medical School
Photo courtesy of Carole Trottere
“He [D’Innocenzo] initially, as soon as he found out we were here, talked to our
department chair, Dr. Patrick Gannon,” said Peragine. “Dr. Gannon gave me his
information, I sent him our donation forms, he filled out all the paperwork, and we talked
through everything.”
“Legal wills normally say your body cannot be used in some other purpose,” said
D’Innocenzo. “I then contacted President Rabinowitz the next day and I told him I’ve
been here this long I’ll just make another
contribution. He contacted the medical
school and they contacted me.
“They want you to have as many organs
as you can. Hofstra makes use of the body
longer than many other schools. They use it
for three years. I hope it’s not going to be too
soon by the way.”
Let’s be honest, death is a touchy subject. It is one of those thoughts that can
blindside you on some idle Sunday and keep you perplexed for hours.
“Some people were a little squeamish when it came up, when I brought up the idea
in class,” said D’Innocenzo. “But this is something I’ve come to terms with and some
people are just frightened or put off when it comes to death and they don’t want to think
about it in any way.”
Being here for more than half a century, D’Innocenzo has formed a bond with this
school.
“It’s been so great growing older as Hofstra kept getting better,” said D’Innocenzo.
“Hofstra was good when I came here in 1960 and I remember I had a lot of job offers
because I came out of Columbia. Colleges were expanding and my advisor at Columbia
told me that Hofstra’s reputation has not caught up with it. It’s really an outstanding
school, it has a terrific faculty and that it was an up and coming school.”
As an educator that has touched so many lives, one cannot help but be in awe as he
discusses just how important bettering the lives of young people means to him.
“I think part of anyone who becomes a teacher, you always want to give back
to advance knowledge
to disseminate it,” said
D’Innocenzo. “It’s a great joy
to have empower and teach
young people along the way
and to be at any institution
you’re a part of it, you really
care about it. I’ve loved the
evolvement of Hofstra over all
these years.
“There is a kind of
sweetness of the Pride, being
at the Pride indefinitely.”

“There is a kind of
sweetness of the Pride,
being at the Pride
indefinitely.”

By Joe Pantorno

Michael D’Innocenzo in the 1970s
Photo courtesy of Michael D’Innocenzo

SPoRTS eDIToR

Michael D’Innocenzo has been part of Hofstra’s faculty since 1960. Since then, he has
given back to the University community for 51 years; receiving awards and accolades
that would be any educator’s dream. D’Innocenzo has one more gift in store for the
University after he is done working here: his body.
The history professor decided to donate his anatomical gift to the Hofstra Medical
School for the hopes of advancement in science.
Standing before his History 144 class which deals with the American Revolution,
D’Innocenzo’s lecture meandered into the story of Thomas Jefferson’s home in
Monticello, VA which spoke of his legacy.
“It was kind of a spur of the moment thing,” said D’Innocenzo. “I told our attorney that
I wanted to donate it and my wife was fine with that, she knew about it and what the
Hofstra Medical School said when I talked to them initially was that you should talk it
over with you family, your attorneys to make sure people are comfortable with you doing
this.”
Cira Peragine, program Administrator for the Whole Body Anatomical Gift Program for
the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine has been building her department since
before doors were opened.
“The School of Medicine’s AGP is a whole body donation program and does not
include those people who wish to donate organs,” said Peragine. “However, cornea and
skin donations are also acceptable prior to whole body donation.”
The school has obtained 22 cadavers in its first year as students learn to advance their
medical understandings in hopes of becoming the next generation of great doctors.
“At this time, the cadavers at the School of Medicine are used for medical education
and research,” said Peragine. “The initiation of our program has benefited from our
partnership with the North Shore-LIJ Health System.”
D’Innocenzo got in contact with the Medical School and made the necessary changes
to his personal documents in order to make the donation valid.